Recent reviews by Ashwake

God, where do I even begin. I struggled with this game, played it off and on for about a few months until something finally clicked. It was the first AC game for me and I had a lot to learn. It is DENSE. But it is so worth it, once I finally started to put time and effort into understanding how the ACs are setup and how to play the game, it really opened up. Also switched from controller to M+K helped to track better, so I recommend that if you have twitchy reflexes.

All in all, the game just has a lot to it. Between the weapons, weapon types, damage types, four weapons you can hold at once, internal parts, boosting and movement in general, and all the "hidden" stats, it's a bit overwhelming. And being critical, it does not do the best job of explaining everything. If you want all the information, you will likely need to go researching outside the game and it can be intimidating just baseline to approach the game, which I 100% get. If you've played AC games before, it's somehow less complex with not as many moving parts to an AC, but it's still pretty tightly packed.

Moreso on the positive side, there is SO much to do with customizing and optimizing your AC. The game encourages and is balanced around being able to understand what your opposition is and building against it. As much as I tried to make a "catch all" build or just "perfect" AC, I couldn't do it. Maybe someone else can get closer, but regardless, there's likely still something about it that can be optimized in certain situations.

The world itself is also bleak, yet full of people making their own way and the worldbuilding/character interactions/dialogue make it so much more immersive than most Souls games for me. And endearing in a way. The music helps frame everything as you go, adding to the mood and/or vibe, either in dystopian or heroic ways. Sometimes bittersweet. Okay, a lot of bittersweet. It's great, 10/10.

But ultimately, I adore this game for all I struggled. I'm a slow learner anyway. And yet, with patience, persistence, and a lot of attempts, not only was the game beat, but 100%'d. It's very rewarding and fulfilling to learn, play, and master.